Was Park Right to Condemn Ferry Crew?

South Korean President Park Geun-hye presides over a meeting with senior secretaries at the Cheong Wa Dae presidential office in Seoul, South Korea, April 21, 2014. Park called for stern punishment of those responsible for the sinking of the Sewol ferry.

Associated Press

On Monday, South Korean President Park Geun-hye declared that the actions of the captain and crew of the fated ferry Sewol were “tantamount to murder.”

The statement appeared to tap into national outrage over TV footage showing the captain, Lee Jun-seok, being among the first to escape the ship as it capsized.

Mr. Lee and the two other members in charge of the ship at the time it went down have been arrested on charges of abandoning the ship in violation of the seafarers’ law, which stipulates they must help passengers leave a wrecked ship safely.

Advertisement

They are also accused of not making efforts to safely evacuate passengers and eventually causing their death. On Monday, a further four crew members were detained by police.

Mr. Lee appeared briefly before the news media after his arrest but didn’t offer a reason for why he left the ship before coordinating the evacuation of passengers. He did say he didn’t order an immediate evacuation because of concerns about whether passengers would survive in the cold water and strong currents.

The other crew members have not made public statements about why they left the ship before all the passengers.

It isn’t clear yet whether the crew members will face formal criminal charges or what the penalties would be if they are found guilty.

Lee Joon-seok, second to the right, captain of the sunken South Korean ferry Sewol, arrives at the headquarters of a joint investigation team of prosecutors and police in Mokpo April 19, 2014.

Getty Images

Ms. Park faced some online criticism for deflecting attention away from the government’s handling of the crisis, but also appeared to reflect public sentiment against the captain and crew.

“Are you making a fire of anger burn harder? Has the government done a good job? It was the captain that caused the accident, but the government’s handling was immature,” wrote Twitter user @hee1025w.

“Of course the almighty President Park will hold related parties responsible regardless of their positions… The captain’s action was tantamount to murder,” said @mygod1472.

But some foreign Korea-watchers also questioned whether Ms. Park’s statements may prejudice any criminal proceedings against the crew that follow the investigation. She also said that the actions of the captain and crew were “utterly unimaginable, legally and ethically.”

“Bad decision on her part. How can the accused get a fair day in court, and they will be in court, when the POTROK (President of the Republic of Korea) says that,” wrote Seoul-based analyst Daniel Pinkston on Twitter.